Week 13 - Sunday

Different in Extent

And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. (Romans 5:16)

In Romans 5:12-21 Paul presents an analogy about Adam and Christ. In Paul's analogy, the only similarity between Adam and Christ, is that in both cases one act by one man affected the destiny of all mankind. On the other hand, there are many ways in which their one acts were unlike each other. The first way in which the acts of Adam and Christ are not alike is in their effect. Christ's act had a positive effect on man, while Adam's act had a negative one. Adam's disobedience had the very negative effect of causing sin and death to fall on all mankind. The positive effect of Christ's sacrifice was that it resulted in the forgiveness of sins and eternal life. The second way in which the acts of Adam and Christ are not like each other is in their extent. The definition of extent is the degree to which something extends. Adam's one sin extended to such a degree that it caused judgment to fall on all mankind. This didn't happen because Adam's sin was so much worse than any other sin that would ever be committed. All Adam did was eat fruit he wasn't supposed to eat. There sure have been a lot of worse things done than that. What make Adam's sin so significant is it was the first sin ever committed. That is the reason why Adam's sin brought about the condemnation of the entire human race. God hates sin so much, it only took one sin to condemn every person who would ever live.

It's hard for us to understand just why God hates sin so much. Most of us don't take sin very seriously. We even tell jokes about sin and laugh at them. God isn't laughing though. God is holy and pure, and He hates sin. His righteous anger over sin is so intense that Adam's first sin condemned all mankind. Over the years that have followed, countless millions of sins have been committed. Now stop and think for a moment. If God hates sin enough to condemn the entire human race for just one sin, what do you suppose He would do after many transgressions? You might expect that God would become so angry at some point that He would immediately destroy everyone. Instead, what He did was come to earth as a man and die on the cross to pay the penalty for all those sins. As much as God hates sin, His love for the sinner is even greater (1 John 4:9).

The degree to which Christ's one act extends is far greater than Adam's. His death on the cross not only provided forgiveness of sin for mankind, it also resulted in their justification. Nelson's Bible Dictionary describes justification as the process by which sinful human beings are made acceptable to a holy God. Whenever a person puts their faith in Jesus Christ, God not only forgives all their sins but He treats them as if their sins never even happened. In God's eyes they are justified. They are acceptable to Him. Christ's one act is as much greater in its extent than Adam's, as God's love for mankind is greater than His hatred of sin.

Readings for today: Col. 2:13-14; 2 Cor. 5:19; 1Cor. 6:11; Rom. 3:24